Sheng Jiao remained silent, expressionlessly reaching out for the bead.
Yan Jianlan put on his shoes and strolled over, holding the bead behind his back as he leaned forward, smiling: “Why so shy, Heavenly Dao lord?”
Perhaps only he could see “shyness” on Sect Master Sheng’s icy face.
Sheng Jiao didn’t insist on the bead. He reached out to touch Yan Jianlan’s earlobe: “Does it hurt?”
Yan Jianlan pulled out the cotton ball, found no blood, and casually tossed it aside, lazily lying on the table: “No, not as much as what the Heavenly Dao lord gives me.”
Sheng Jiao frowned, dissatisfied that Yan Jianlan treated his injury so lightly.
“Did you catch the culprit?” Yan Jianlan took out the bead, idly playing with the ear ornament. The intricate bead clasp, which Sheng Jiao had struggled to repair for over half an hour, instantly worked perfectly in his hands.
Sheng Jiao glanced at the ear ornament before shifting his gaze away: “Mm.”
“How were they dealt with?”
“Executed.”
Yan Jianlan fastened the ear ornament to his earlobe. His hearing, just restored, was instantly filled with the merciless word “executed,” causing his hand to tremble and the bead clasp to rattle softly.
Sheng Jiao looked at him coldly.
Yan Jianlan was silent for a while, then suddenly reached out and placed his hand on Sheng Jiao’s wrist, gazing at him with earnest and affectionate eyes.
Sheng Jiao was well aware of Yan Jianlan’s tricks. Seeing this expression, he knew Yan Jianlan was about to spout a string of sweet nonsense to placate him.
Sheng Jiao prepared himself to “listen with clean ears” to whatever this little swindler would say, but this time Yan Jianlan didn’t follow his usual pattern. He said tenderly: “Sheng Wuzhuo, shall we register as dao companions?”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
Sheng Jiao was stunned.
“Register,” Yan Jianlan said, holding Sheng Jiao’s wrist and speaking eloquently. “Anyway, you have a cave residence now. Xiezhi Sect… well, it’s barely livable. I’m not picky. But after I finish learning medicine from Medicine Sect, I’ll probably spend most of my time at the Northern Territory clinic. Mm, great, great. You’ll be busy at Xiezhi Sect, slaying all kinds of villains, and I’ll be saving lives at the clinic. Perfect.”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
Sheng Jiao said quietly: “You want to register with me?”
When he was still a youth, he’d once gathered his courage and, for the first time, actively asked Yan Ling to register with him.
But he received only a cold, emotionless refusal. Even after their reunion and dual cultivation, Sheng Jiao seemed to fear that old “no” and never brought up registration again.
Sheng Jiao had been fed enough of Yan Jianlan’s promises, but never expected the day Yan Jianlan would actually fulfill the promise he’d once made, full of nonsense.
“Yes, register, register.”
Yan Jianlan felt a bit guilty about bringing up registration. After all, he’d once embarrassed Sheng Jiao so much about registration, and now, being the one to bring it up, he felt awkward but still forced a smile, drawing circles on Sheng Jiao’s wrist and whispering, “Will you?”
Sheng Jiao looked down at Yan Jianlan’s restless hand, silent for a long time before quietly saying, “Don’t lie to me.”
He could tolerate all of Yan Jianlan’s lies and concealments, even if Yan Jianlan turned his sword against him for others, but he didn’t want Yan Jianlan to treat his feelings as a joke.
Yan Jianlan’s heart trembled, his voice soft and gentle: “Not this time.”
Sensing Sheng Jiao’s strange resistance to registration, Yan Jianlan shook his arm, trying to placate him: “It’s fine if we don’t register. After all, we’re already…”
“No,” Sheng Jiao interrupted before he could finish, coldly saying, “Register.”
Yan Jianlan was stunned, unable to hold back his laughter as he fell onto the table, weaving his fingers through Sheng Jiao’s broad palm, their hands clasped together, warmth spreading through his palm.
But the warmth didn’t last long. Sheng Jiao added, “…after Yu Tuishan’s matter is settled.”
Yan Jianlan’s face fell, clutching Sheng Jiao’s hand tightly, coaxing, “It doesn’t bother him, does it? Why worry about him? Besides, the registration ceremony only takes half a day. It won’t interfere with Xiezhi Sect’s important affairs.”
Sheng Jiao still said, “No.”
It wasn’t that he feared what Yu Tuishan might do at the registration ceremony, but he felt that as long as Yu Tuishan was set on destroying Tianyan, he and Yan Jianlan would always be on opposite sides.
As long as Yu Tuishan’s matter with Tianyan remained unresolved, the conflict between Sheng Jiao and Yan Jianlan would be like a massive iceberg hidden beneath the water—calm on the surface, but brewing danger beneath.
Knowing Sheng Jiao’s decision wouldn’t change, Yan Jianlan could only compromise: “Fine.”
Registration meant nothing to him. If Sheng Jiao wasn’t in a hurry, he didn’t need to rush either.
Sheng Jiao added, “We can prepare first—where do you want to register?”
Yan Jianlan glanced at him, thinking Sheng Jiao really didn’t want to register in a hurry. He said casually, “Anywhere is fine. Wherever you are, that’s my home.”
He was stating a fact, but the sleepy, lazy tone made it sound like a love confession.
Sheng Jiao, after a moment’s surprise, had a faint blush on his earlobe, hidden among his hair.
Sheng Jiao pondered for a while, then said, “Do you want to return to Yan Wen Mountain?”
Yan Jianlan pursed his lips, unsure whether to nod or shake his head.
He did want to.
Yan Wen Mountain was his gentle haven from youth, but also the beginning of all his tragedies. Since his parents’ indirect deaths, Yan Jianlan had longed to return, but feared to.
“I…” Yan Jianlan whispered, “I’m afraid.”
Sheng Jiao held his hand, saying quietly, “Don’t be afraid.”
Yan Jianlan’s fingers curled slightly.
He never understood what Yan Hanque meant with his last words, “Don’t be afraid”—was it not to fear suffering, or not to fear the unknown future?
Looking into Sheng Jiao’s eyes, Yan Jianlan stared for a long time, then suddenly gathered courage and blurted out:
“I want to.”
He wanted to return to Yan Wen Mountain, dreamed of it.
Sheng Jiao seemed to smile, but his icy face showed no hint of it. He straightened Yan Jianlan’s messy black hair, as if comforting a lost child, saying softly, “Alright, then we’ll go back.”
Yan Jianlan let Sheng Jiao stroke his hair, mumbling, “But… Yan Wen Mountain is far from Xiezhi Sect.”
Though Yan Wen Mountain was on the border between Central State and Northern Territory, Central State had taken the richest spiritual veins. In terms of distance, Yan Wen Mountain was actually quite close to Wuyin City.
Sheng Jiao said, “It doesn’t matter.”
Yan Jianlan thought for a while, agreeing.
The Xiezhi Sect and Punitive Court vessels were fast. Returning to Yan Wen Mountain every so often was possible, especially since he planned to open a clinic in Wuyin City.
Yan Jianlan couldn’t help but feel joyful, his eyes crinkling as he said happily, “I can go home.”
Sheng Jiao: “Mm.”
“Home, home.” Yan Jianlan muttered as he took out all his storage rings, searching through them for a new spirit residence. “We need to find a bigger spirit residence. Well, if we can’t find one, we can rebuild. My parents always said Yan Wen Mountain is a blessed land. Before Tianyan appeared, many powerful cultivators emerged from there, and some even ascended.”
Yan Jianlan busied himself rummaging through storage rings, murmuring plans for the future—he seemed to love imagining the future. Whenever he started talking about it, he’d chatter endlessly, almost dancing with joy when he got excited, his happiness nearly overflowing.
Sheng Jiao said nothing, just sat there silently, staring at him intently.
Perhaps young Yan Ling had once talked happily with Xi Jue like this, but back then, all his dreams had become mere “fantasies.”
Yan Jianlan, long accustomed to talking to himself around Sheng Jiao, had been chattering away and was about to pause for a rest when he suddenly heard Sheng Jiao say:
“…We should plant an osmanthus tree.”
Yan Jianlan froze, blinking in surprise. He hadn’t expected Sheng Jiao to suddenly join in his daydreaming.
“Sure.” Yan Jianlan flicked a spirit residence key with his fingers, then caught it deftly in his palm, smiling. “Plant them. Plant them everywhere.”
What he hoped for was no longer just one person’s delusion.
***
Yu Tuishan wouldn’t let things rest. In Central State, the Xi and Qu families had been completely destroyed. Only the Rang, Feng, and Heng families remained. Though the Ying family and other smaller clans also had Tianyan, they kept a low profile and made their fortunes quietly. After all these years, no one even knew where the Ying family’s main house was located.
Yu Tuishan probably wouldn’t harm the Rang family. The Sheng family hadn’t been involved in the “Kan Tianyan” affair back then, and with the Xiezhi Sect Master being from the Sheng family, his next target likely wouldn’t be them either.
After thinking it through, it would probably be the Heng family.
Sheng Jiao went to Tianyan Academy to find Heng Yudu.
As soon as he saw Headmaster Heng, he noticed the glass bird that usually flew around him had completely disappeared. The sight was rather jarring.
“What happened?” Sheng Jiao frowned as he approached. “The glass bird?”
Heng Yudu was reviewing spirit tools submitted by Lixiang Study Hall. Seeing Sheng Jiao arrive, he nodded slightly and rubbed his temples. “Don’t even ask.”
Sheng Jiao: “What?”
Heng Yudu raised his hand, using “Exchange for the Moon” to conjure several glass birds.
At first, the birds flew affectionately around Heng Yudu, but after just a few circles, they seemed shocked by something and began shrieking piercingly.
Just as Sheng Jiao frowned, the several glass birds exploded in midair.
Fortunately, Heng Yudu had preemptively created a protective barrier with spiritual power, or he would have been injured by the exploding glass bird.
“Like this.” Heng Yudu withdrew his “Exchange for the Moon” spiritual power, sighing silently. “Just as Rang Chen said, Tianyan has a serious problem.”
Sheng Jiao’s eyes flickered: “Rang Chen came to see you?”
“Mm.” Heng Yudu gestured for Sheng Jiao to sit, poured him tea, and said casually, “The Qu family incident caused such a commotion. How do you have time to come to Tianyan Academy?”
Sheng Jiao briefly explained Yu Tuishan’s situation to Heng Yudu.
Heng Yudu’s hand holding the cup paused.
“‘Kan Tianyan’? Targeting the Heng family?”
***
In early autumn, the ninth month, Central State was unexpectedly blanketed with goose-feather snow.
Yu Tuishan stood atop a high tower, his white robes fluttering loudly in the cold wind. He raised his hand to brush his disheveled black hair behind him, smiling as he gazed down at the thousands of lit homes below.
Rang Chen stood beside him, saying flatly: “Are you sure? If Sheng Jiao catches you, it won’t be a small matter.”
Wind and snow howled. Yu Tuishan squinted his eyes, laughing continuously: “That’s what makes it fun.”
Seeing him eager like a child, Rang Chen frowned in warning: “You can’t cause such a big commotion again.”
Yu Tuishan made a “hey” sound and sat on the edge, swinging his legs and kicking alternately, grinning: “This is nothing. Killing a few people is considered making a big commotion?”
“Those wandering cultivators are desperadoes…” Rang Chen said coldly. “You gathered them in Central State, already attracting Xiezhi Sect’s attention, yet you dared lead them to the Qu family to kill.”
Yu Tuishan looked utterly innocent: “‘Abandoned Immortal Bone’ is fake Tianyan. Everyone in Evil Qi Road knows this, but they still used it, risking poisoning. Why? Because they had nothing better to do?”
Rang Chen frowned.
Yu Tuishan tilted his head, smiling: “Master Rang is detached from worldly concerns. You probably don’t know what wandering cultivators are, do you?”
“I’m not a master,” Rang Chen said expressionlessly. “And I do know what wandering cultivators are.”
But Yu Tuishan continued on his own: “…They’re people driven to desperation by your great families, whose cultivation has stagnated for hundreds of years, even driven to inner demons.”
Rang Chen froze.
“Almost all wandering cultivators in Evil Qi Road have developed inner demons.” Rang Chen had thought Yu Tuishan was speaking for the wandering cultivators, but then saw an evil smile appear on his face. “These desperadoes are easiest to use. Dangle some bait and they’ll bite.”
“Abandoned Immortal Bone” was highly poisonous, and Tianyan was the antidote.
From the day Yu Tuishan brought out “Abandoned Immortal Bone” in Evil Qi Road, he’d already calculated using those lawless desperadoes without any sense of right or wrong as the vanguard, with the great families’ Tianyan earth veins as the tempting bait.
“I haven’t done anything.” Yu Tuishan pointed with his beautiful fingers that had killed countless people toward the lights below, smiling: “Central State’s families’ Tianyan and xiangwen were all given by my ‘Kan Tianyan.’ Naturally, I’m qualified to control them.”
He simply felt bad when the families faced disaster and wanted to control Tianyan. If the family members’ cultivation was suppressed, it was because they were useless and worthless—what did that have to do with him, Yu Tuishan?
Rang Chen was almost convinced by this twisted logic, but he knew deeply that one couldn’t reason with someone like Yu Tuishan who’d completely gone mad.
Eight years of torture had completely twisted his mentality and character. No one could change him.
Seeing Rang Chen remain silent, Yu Tuishan laughed loudly. Suddenly, he pushed off with his hand, leaping from the peak of the tower several zhang high, landing with a thunderous crash that kicked up thick dust.
Rang Chen stood there, expressionless, watching Yu Tuishan’s back. After a long while, he finally said:
“Madman.”
A moment later, the Qu family was engulfed in roaring flames. The snowflakes were reflected in the firelight, shimmering like dazzling fireworks.
Just three days after the Qu family was exterminated, the main house of the Heng family was attacked again.
Fortunately, Sheng Jiao and Heng Yudu arrived just as the fire started. Their spirit-level xiangwen spiritual power forcibly extinguished the blaze. More than a dozen wandering cultivators who had taken “Abandoned Immortal Bone” were stopped by Xiezhi Sect enforcers before they could break the array.
Heng Yudu was shaken. He had a Daoist boy push his wheelchair into the Heng family estate.
“Brother?!”
Heng Yudu’s parents had died early. He was raised by his uncle Heng Qinglian and his elder brother.
Knowing the tragic fate of the Qu family, he had already braced himself for the worst as he rushed in. But he was surprised to find the young Heng family head unharmed, using spiritual needles to extinguish the flames in the Tianyan ancestral hall.
Heng Yudu was stunned.
The fire was almost out. Luckily, the Tianyan earth veins beneath the ancestral hall hadn’t been burned. The Heng family head withdrew his spiritual power and, turning around, saw Heng Yudu seated in the wheelchair. He frowned slightly as he walked over, saying gently, “Yudu, I thought you were busy at the academy. Why did you suddenly come back?”
“I…” Heng Yudu said, “I was worried something would happen to the Heng family.”
The Heng family head smiled. “Nothing serious. Just a fire. The wandering cultivators have been caught by the Xiezhi Sect enforcers, and no one in the family was hurt. No need to worry.”
Heng Yudu, who had been anxious all the way, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Xiezhi Sect was busy all night. Sheng Jiao stood in the snow, frowning, sensing something was off.
The Heng family’s Tianyan earth veins were unharmed, and there were no casualties. To others, it was a stroke of luck.
But Yu Tuishan had no connection with the Heng family, and Heng family members had also participated in the “Kan Tianyan” affair. Yu Tuishan was unpredictable and ruthless. Why would he make a big show but do little, just starting a fire and not even showing his face?
But thinking about it, Yu Tuishan was just like Yan Jianlan, never following the rules. While others might expect him to target the Heng family, he might do the opposite.
Sheng Jiao suddenly thought of something, his pupils contracting.
Just then, a Xiezhi Sect enforcer hurried over.
“Sect Master! Yu Tuishan…”
The enforcer was pale, gasping for breath.
“…went to the Sheng family!”
***
**
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1